November Update
Happy November, everyone. First, thanks to everyone who came out for our work days at Chick Springs last month. On Saturday, October 26, we took a few salvageable pieces from the site and stored them for future reuse and reference. Thanks especially to all the following businesses for giving their time and resources to help us with the cleanup of the site so far:
Conor Holombo with DCH Contractors
Chris Pierce with Proscape Properties
Kyle Campbell with Preservation South
Jason Smit with the Greenville County Historic Preservation Commission
Many others have volunteered their time and energy, and we are very grateful for all who have helped.
We continue working closely with historic preservation professionals to take the next steps, and we hope to share more about those soon. We need contributions to continue this work; if you are at a place where you can help, you can donate here.
I’ve spent a lot of time at Chick Springs over the past few weeks, and being down there, you feel a bit more connected to history. I’ve been reading a lot about the history of Greenville County and South Carolina recently. History is a great teacher for this moment, not because it can tell us fully what’s about to happen, but as a reminder that “crazy times” have happened before, and yet we are still here.
The political rhetoric of the moment is reaching new heights of alarm, but I'm here to suggest a different type of radical belief: hope. My faith leads me to believe that while all of this is important, it’s not ultimately so. While it feels essential for us to stay up-to-date on every twist and turn of the presidential election, to read that 27-story-long Instagram thread, or to check out our preferred news site’s latest election projection, our time is most likely better spent engaging here at home.
Every time I’ve really dug into working with people on a cause we all believe in locally, I’ve felt more hopeful. I’ve felt more hopeful about the future of our community of course, but you also go and learn about all the truly great things happening in communities all across this country. Yes, there is a lot I could look at and despair over, but my challenge to you is to choose to build.
Where should you start? Whatever institutions you are already connected to are likely as good a place to start as any. As we move past this election, if you find yourself “really into” it, try to take that energy and put it into something else. Work to build something locally. If I can be helpful in that regard, please reply to this email and let me know. Regardless of what you do, I hope you will let history be a tonic to your fears and choose the hope that comes by taking a step towards building something here at home as we move beyond next Tuesday.
Thanks for reading, and talk to you again soon!
Alex Reynolds
President, Board of Directors
Taylors TownSquare